Floating belt



July 21, l953 o. KLABUNDE FLOATING BELT Filed Nov. 1e, 195o C@ 6 w. MQ@f pw Patented July 21, 1953 UNITED STA'IESA PATENT oFF-ICE FLoATINGBELT v L out klabunae, ohicagqJH. Applieation Nov'emper 16, 1950, serialNo. 196,053

The present invention relates to floating'belts of the type havingaplurality of inflatable compartments arranged in aA mutual longitudinalrelation in a form of a-belt to t around the Waist of a person toSustain-'him in Water.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of asuitable valve lthrough which a pair of adjacent compartments may beinflated or deflated.

Another object of the present invention' is the provision of acomparatively stiff insert-in the' casing of the belt and between a paircf adjacent compartmentsfor supporting 'a valve stem in a transverserelation with the insert, whereby a pairv of adjacent compartmentsn'iaybe iniated or deflated.

With the above general objects. in viewland others that Will appear 'asthe invention is better.'

understood, the same! consists in the novel construction, combinationand arrangement of partsy hereinafter more -fully described,illustrat'edin the accompanying drawing and'lpointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing forming a part of this application and in which likedesignating characters ,refer to corresponding parts throughoutthe'several views; 1-

Fig. 1 is'ja face elevationallview of thegp esfent invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevational'view thereof, with the severalcompartments in an inated condition; .Y

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional View through the valve and throughthe insert in a longitudinal direction of the latter, the view havingbeen taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View through the valve transversely of theinsert, the view having been taken on line 5 5 of Figs. 1 and 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the valve.

Referring in detail to the present drawing there is shown the floatingbelt made of an impervious material. Preliminarily the same is made inthe form of an elongated tubular casing, with a plurality of inserts I0,positioned in a mutual spaced relation, and transversely of the casing.Said inserts I0 are shorter than the maximum width of the tubularcasing. The front and back faces of the casing are cemented to saidinserts I0. Likewise said front and back faces, along the portionsthereof which are on a continuing line from the ends of said inserts I0,are cemented to each other, as at II. Inter- 2 claims. (o1. 9-17mediately of a pair of said.insertsjlfthefront and back faces of thetubular casing arece-` mented to form joint I2. The ends of thefront andback faces of ysaid tubular casingerecc-V mented to form sealed endseams I 3. Thereupon. the longitudinal marginal portionsfof 'the tubularcasing are cemented to form sealed edgepseam I4.

Fromythe hereinabove descriptionkr it will be apparent that. insertsIll, with the cemented portions II, joint I2, sealed lend seams I3. andthe sealed edge seam I4 delinea. plurality of inflatable compartmentsI5, arranged in a longitudinal relation and capableV ,of.. encirclingposition around the waist of aperson.

Aixed to each end seam I3v is flap I6, one car' rying ball fastenersIl-,yand the other socket fasteners I8, whereby the beltmay be connectedat its ends and maintained in position around the waist vof a person. Inorder to fit the beltaround the waist of a person having` a large girthexten:T sion'leaf I9, provided at one ofy its ends withball fasteners 20and-iatftheother end with .socket fasteners 2|, maybe attached ;to apsI6 to ene gage fasteners vI1 and I8 'of the latter, as is `seeninFigs.1.and2. v1

Each of Asaid inserts .I0 is made preferably ofrubber or 'other likesuitable material. Each of said insertsv I'Ilfis oblong, with itscentral portion much thicker than its gradually tapering ends. The frontandI back Vfaces of the belt are cemented to said' inserts, ashereinabove described,- andas best shown -in Fig. 4. Through itsthickest central portion each insert IU is provided with a transversebore 22, The front and back faces of the belt are apertured in alignmentwith said bore 22, for the purpose of receiving therewithin stem 23 ofvalve, generally indicated by 24 in Fig. 6.

Said valve 24 is further provided at its one end with an integrallyformed flange 25, and at its opposite end with an integrally formedflattened knob 26. ,Intermediately of its ends saidvalve 24 has flange2'I of a diameterwhich is larger than the diameter of flange 25.

Valve 24 is further provided with a longitudinal bore 28, whichterminates short of flange 25, and which opens through the free end ofknob 26. Transverse bore 29 is made in stem .23 in a transversecommunicating relation with bore 28.

Insert I0 is provided with transverse bore 30, each end of which opensinto the adjacent compartment I5. In the operative position of valve 24in insert I0 stem 23 is in a transverse position with bore 30. Whenvalve 24 is rotatably turned by manually grasping knob 26 it is`possible to bring bore 29 in `an alignment and communication with bore30. When in that alignment compartments I5 which are adjacent to eachinsert I may be inflated by blowing air by mouth into bore 28. The airof course will pass through said bore 28, bore 29 and bore 30 and into apair of adjacent compartments I to inate the latter. When saidcompartments have been inflated manual turning of valve 24 will shiftbore 29 out of alignment with bore until the solid body portion of stem23 is shifted in path of said bore 30 for effectively blocking bore 30and thereby preventing the escape of air from the inflated compartments,as is seen in Fig. 5.

Valve 24 may be made of plastic or other suitable material. Its flange25 being of a comparatively short diameter will readily be forcedthrough bore 22 and the aligned apertures made in the front and backfaces of the lbelt to assume its operative position shown in Figs. 4 and5.

When in that operative position of the valve flanges 25 and 21 are incontact with the faces of the belt, with said faces and insert l0interposed therebetween. This prevents longitudinal shifting of thevalve with relation to insert I0, and thereby maintains bores 29 and 30upon the same plane.

While there is described herein a. preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. A belt comprising an inflatable receptacle having a pair of opposedsides, each of said sides having an aperture extending transverselytherethrough and in substantial alignment one with the other, an insertposition within said receptacle and dividing said receptacle into a.pair of compartments, said insert having a valve receiving boreextending therethrough and aligned with said apertures, said inserthaving a second bore formed therein extendingtransversely of andintersecting said first bore, said second bore being in opencommunication with said pair of compartments, a valve rotatably mountedwithin said first bore and having a. passage therethrough for selectivealignment with said second bore upon rotation of said valve, said valvehaving a second passage formed therein, said second passagecommunicating with the atmosphere at one of its ends and terminating atits other end in open communication with said first passage, means onsaid valve to prevent shifting of said valve relative to thelongitudinal axis of said first bore, said last named means comprising apair of spaced radial flanges engaging against the marginal edges ofsaid apertures formed in said sides of said receptacle.

2. A belt comprising a plurality of connected inflatable receptacles,each of said receptacles having a pair of opposed sides, each of saidsides having an aperture extending transversely therethrough and insubstantial alignment one with the other, an insert positioned withineach of said receptacles, said insert dividing each of said receptaclesinto a pair of adjacent compartments, each of said inserts having avalve receiving bore extending therethrough and aligned with saidapertures formed in their respective receptacles, each of said insertshaving a second bore formed therein extending transversely of andintersecting said first bore, said second bores being in opencommunication with each pair of compartments adjacent their respectiveinserts, a valve rotatably mounted within each 0f said rst bores andhaving a passage therethrough for selective alignment with said secondbores upon rotation of said valve, each of said valves having a secondpassage formed therein, each of said second passages communicating withthe atmosphere at one of its ends and terminating at its other end inopen communication with said first passage, means on each of said valvesto prevent shifting of said valves relative to the longitudinal axes oftheir respective said first bores, each of said last-named meanscomprising a pair of spaced radial flanges engaging against the marginaledges of said apertures formed in said sides of said receptacles.

O'I'lO KLABUNDE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 535,143 Mendelson Mar. 5, 1895 1,533,177 Gendron Apr. 14, 19251,620,421 Wilson Mar. 8, 1927 1,641,534 Davis Sept. 6, 1927 1,811,847Hellrich June 30, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 792,216France Oct. 14, 1935

